Monday, August 26, 2013

This week was great, we are really working hard to find through the members, the members are the source to finding solid investigators, they know the people, they support them in the progression and it's always more powerful to have friends help in conversion. Elder Cuevas and I are doing well, the unity is there, we are gaining more and more and we are growing to really love each other! We have a few investigators that are slowly progressing. Maxi is about 25ish and needs to get married before he can get baptized, so we are really working with him on the wedding. His girlfriend is a member and she wants to get married right now, but he wants to wait, they don't have money so it’s difficult, but the Lord will always provide.
I am learning lots these past few weeks and still I’m being tested to my max! This is a transfer of trials and errors that are correcting me. There is a talk by Gene R Cook and he said something like the trials and hardships that we often try to avoid are what makes us into Godly men. So I pass through these trials with that hope, that this will give me the learning from on high I need.
I love the mission and I’m always excited to start a new week and do better!

Monday, August 19, 2013

This week was good! We worked super hard to get investigators progressing. We had lots of appointments set but lots of them fell through, so we spent lots of time walking and contacting. Many of our investigators are really cool, at times wishy washy but way cool. We had a zone conference on Thursday in Cordoba and it was really inspiring. I love Presidente Alliaud. He’s so great! I got a little gift from Hermana Alliaud for my birthday, she won’t let me open it until my birthday, so I wait, but I felt special haha. I really try hard in this work and I find that no matter what, the Lord will consecrate our efforts if we give it all we have with diligence. We had 0 in church yesterday for investigators and none progressing but, none the less we move forward. A week of good trials and success spiritually.

I watched a video in a zone conference this week and it was Elder Holland talking to mission presidents, he said at times the elders will ask, why is it so hard to baptize, why is it so hard to keep people active, why is it so hard to work with the ward, why..and isn't there any easier way to do it? I thought personally at times in all situations we think why is this so hard, hard to do HT, hard to have FHE hard to get up and read every day, hard to live the commandments with exactness....and then Holland said in his firm loud voice ¨I believe that Salvation is not a cheap experience! It was never easy for the man who took upon him our sins, why would it be easy for us? He then said we cannot come to a firm testimony of these things without tasting a very small piece, very very small, of what our savior had to take upon him for us to find salvation. He then said when we ask why it’s so hard, isn't there another way, we need to remember that someone much better asked that same question on the Mount of Olives. So powerful...

Elder Nelson

In Cosquin with Fransisco, he’s a new convert of a year, from
brazil, way cool guy!

An
investigator in Cosquin named Margarita, she is going to be baptized soon I
hear!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Last week was crazy but wonderful. I was on an exchange with my district leader named Elder Goncalvez from Paraguay. He’s such a spiritual giant and he’s so incredibly smart. He’s a convert of 2 years and has the same time in the mission as me. He really helped me regain focus, and fix a few of my errors. I love that guy. Elder Cuevas and I then worked hard the rest of the week. We found 15 new investigators last week, now what we gotta do is help them progress. The key to progression in the gospel is keeping commitments such as praying reading and going to church. What we need help in right now is getting investigators in the church on Sunday ha. So this week that is what we will focus on! We really had a good week of just working hard to fulfill our goals. It’s really hard at times to do it, but the Lord always gives us an extra nudge to hit them. I love this gospel and I love seeing it change lives. Our apartment is in the area of the elders in Centro Rio Cuarto, I guess what I heard is Alberdi is too dangerous for the elders, so that’s comforting haha! There are areas of Alberdi that we need to leave when dark comes. It’s hard though because lots of our investigators are where the danger is. But we fit our lessons in. We have an investigator named Brisa of 12 years old, who is the daughter of a member but isn’t baptized. She is very shy and timid but she’s cool. She wants to get baptized but isn’t coming to church with her mom. We are looking for members, young women or young women leaders to come with us to visit her, but nobody can, so we are really working with her and she may be the next baptism in Alberdi.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Okay so now I am in Rio Cuarto!!!!! woohooo. It basically means the 4th river! The ward is Called Alberdi and it’s a nice place. There is a stake in Rio Cuarto so there are a good amount of members. The ward is bigger than the branch in Cosquin in theory but less show up to church. Kinda funny that more show up in Cosquin ha. But the ward here is strong. Small right now. but strong! There were only 30 something members in church yesterday :/ so we have some work to do. Yesterday we had dinner with the bishop and his family. He’s a cool guy who really wants to help the ward. His name is Bishop Alaniz, they are such a cool family. He talked about the Elder from the branch in Oroville that came here, Elder Glanzer. They loved him and told me some funny stories about him haha. I love the bishop we are working close together to keep building the ward. There have been many trials and difficulties for me just in the past week. My Mission pres wasn't kidding when he said this is my trial transfer, but I keep on keeping on. I live in an apartment in Centro Rio Cuarto. It’s a really nice apartment, a lot nicer than Cosquin ha. Don’t worry mom is safe. There are a few dangerous areas in my area. But, only really at night. We always have to be careful because we have a big target on our back always haha. Many people in the street call out to me and always ask me, hey where are you from? Just waiting to hear my gringo Spanish say Los estados unidos.I usually say Bolivia haha. My companion is deaf so it’s difficult to communicate with him. He reads lips so I need to speak clearly and slowly for him. I sing a lot in the streets as we walk because, well he can’t hear ha, but he’s a good guy and a hard working elder. I live in the apartment with 2 other elders, they work in Centro, so it’s fun. One is from Brazil and the other is from Mexico. I told the one from Brazil I want to learn Portuguese! He said he would help me if I taught him more English! I said “deal!” It’s been asked of all Latinos in the mission to learn English so they have language study too.

Great area great ward, lots of trials but still I am very happy! I love you all :)

Elder NelsonSorry no photos today, i forgot my card reader ha and there is way to do it with just the card with these computers here haha

Saturday (7-27-13) Jolee and I were contacted on Facebook by a Sister in the Branch Jared has been serving in, her name is Norma Bustos. This is some of what she said to us. (My Niece Chelsea who recently returned from her mission in California, Spanish speaking, was kind enough to translate this message for us)

“Your son Jared is a special boy. Here we take care for him and love him a ton. He is a great example for the youth in the branch and our people. He loves our heavenly father. He makes an effort to learn better every day time after time. He is humble and so loving to all the members. He and his companion call me Mamma Norma. It is cold here but I take care of them so they have a warm place, so they eat, and take care of the colds. God takes care of his special youth like Elder Nelson. It takes a huge effort to be in the mission and so far from his family especially in my country. Thank you for supporting him so that he can be here!

7-29-13

Hey I don’t have lots of time but thanks for the update!

I got transferred to Rio Cuarto, Cordoba in a ward named alberdi. My new comp is elder Cuevas who was with me in cosquin. He’s deaf but has a testimony way strong! I was called by the zone leaders last night and they told me that president put me here with him because I knew him and because pres wants me to prove I’m a leader. I guess they expect a lot from me working with him haha no se but I’m way excited to be here. Rio Cuarto is a little version of the city of Cordoba. It’s pretty big and rich too. I love it so far! Norma told me all about your chat. She’s great I love her, when I told her I was leaving she cried and all the kids were sad too! I love that family and I’m so happy they are going to be eternal on Sep 11th :) (it just made that day happy now!) I love you sorry for it being short! :)